I just took my 1992 T&C in for an oil change and inspection. I've been driving it forever, with the only issue being that on hard braking, the ABS/brake lights would turn on for a split second.

Upon getting it back, the ABS pump will not stop pumping, nor will my cruise control work. The brake light and ABS light are on.

If I turn the ignition to just before starting (when lights, dash, etc all turn on but engine does not) the ABS motor starts whirring away.

The guy who did the inspection said "It's nothing we did. It was like that when I took it off the ramp". Which is a crock of some sort, because, as I said, it did not do that before I took it in.

Could it be a loose wheel sensor, or something more nefarious? What should I have them check, because I am definitely bringing it back tomorrow.

 

you have the WORST abs system ever invented. there is never an easy fix. even with a bad wheel speed sensor you would still have power assist, just no lockup control. there's a bunch of recalls on this system, I'd start there, the repairs on this system easily run over $2000.

I've converted a lot of these vans to regular old braking systems when the failed system wasn't covered under recall. The owner was plenty happy to pay $500 for a conventional braking system and getting rid of that noisy unpredictable abs unit.

 

The brakes worked just fine before I took it in. I've only driven it a few miles to my house since, so I don't know how it'll react on a long drive yet, but on the drive home the only noticeable difference besides the lights being on was a constant shudder in the brake pedal from the pump motor running. Well, that and my cruise control no longer working. I will check out the recalls and see what's up. Thanks.

 

as mentioned, it has nothing to do with what they did. The ABS system on ur van is junk. It is just a conincident that it broke after they did an oil change.
There are recalls for part of it, but it is not enough to fix it most of the time. If you are paying out of ur pocket for repair, it will cost more than what the car worth.

 

If it was caused from something they did, it would be from the inspection, not the oil change. Either inadvertently hitting or loosening a sensor or wire somewhere while performing the safety and emissions testing, which may have pushed it over the edge. And I'm sure the ABS system is junk (hence the recall). Buuut, it's worked fine for as long as I've owned the van. It drove fine on my way home from work earlier today, and I drive 30 miles each way every day. I've driven it maybe 30000 - 40000 miles since I've owned it. Just a bit TOO coincidental that it works, I take it for an inspection, and now two things that worked right before I handed over my keys no longer work.

At any rate, I'm going to try the dealer and see if it's covered under the recall, which is supposedly a lifetime recall, and also see if there's anything else that might help.

 

The pump is lifetime and the HCU is covered 100k. What you need to do is find out what the codes are first. Sometimes the accumlator ball which gives the bendex 10 a 500 psi preload, will no longer have the preload charge and the pump will stay on until it burns up. Recall number is 685.

 

I've tried 4 or 5 dealers now to see if they could do this recall, if it is in fact the case. It requires a special tool 6997 that none so far have had, except for one, but theirs is broken. I'm waiting to hear back from a couple of others, who were going to look into it more.

If it comes down to it, any suggestions for someone in the RI area who might do a brake transplant for me?

If my ABS pump does eventually burn out from overrunning, will I still have normal non-ABS braking available, or am I up the creek at that point? Right now, my brakes are still working "normally", with the exception of the motor running excessively and occasional over-stiff brake pedal. The brake warning light will go off when actually using the brakes most times. My cruise control is working most of the time, but sometimes when I brake, I can not reengage the cruise control until either tapping the brake pedal, or in one instance restarting the van.

 

When the pump dies, sometimes it will leave u a solid pedal with minimal brake. Another problem with this recall is the Car being so old, When you try to undo the brake line, they tend to break...

 

Is it just possible to disconnect power from the pump before it dies and still drive okay? My dad did that with his 95 Pontiac Bonneville, but I'm sure the two brake systems are nothing alike.